“Genuine art—dharma art—is simply the activity of nonaggression.” – Trungpa Rinpoche

We invite you to join us for a day of exploring our creativity. Open to everyone, whether you consider yourself an artist or not. 

Together we will discover the Dharma Art teachings of Trungpa Rinpoche. Trungpa Rinpoche described Dharma Art as “art that springs from a certain state of mind on the part of the artist that could be called the meditative state. It is an attitude of directness and unself-consciousness in one’s creative work”. 

We will look at the state of mind of the artist, investigate how sense perceptions can allow us to more vividly be in the moment, and delve into the concept of “Art in everyday life”, blurring the boundary between formal art practice and one’s daily life. We will create space to examine both the creative generating mind and the editing, critiquing mind.

We will explore this sequence, often referred to as Heaven, Earth and Humanity or Space, Sacredness and Sanity:

a. Relating to open space of mind
b. A vision for the piece, or painting, or breakfast, etc.
c. Respecting and honouring the practicalities
d. Playing in the space where the vision and practicalities rub up against each other

The day will bring together meditation practice, brief talks, forays into making things and discussion.

Teachers
Alexander deVaron began teaching in Shambhala in 1986. From 1991-1996 he lived at Karmê Chöling retreat center, working in the practice and study department. In 2010, he was appointed a Shastri (senior teacher) in Shambhala. As a householder, and full-time music teacher, he’s especially keen on how to bring the teachings into every moment of our lives. He teaches Buddhism, Shambhala Training, Shambhala Art, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and the interplay of Buddhism and Western psychology. He has also developed courses on singing, chanting, and vocal exploration as contemplative practice. He brings a light touch to his classes, encouraging curiosity and dialogue.  Alexander’s primary teachers have been Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche and  Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. He’s also grateful for the abundance of profound teachings he’s received from the many western students in these traditions.

Sukhi Barber was drawn to the classical and ancient traditions of art and philosophy from an early age, which led her to undertake a traditional sculptural training at The City and Guilds of London Art School. There she gained a firm grasp of figurative clay modeling and life drawing, graduating in 1995 with the prize for sculpture, and a scholarship from Madame Tussauds. Sukhi’s sculptures are intended to bridge the cultures of East and West. Embodying the peace and compositional balance of ancient devotional art, they represent complex philosophical ideas with a simplicity and clarity that renders them accessible on an intuitive level. Exploring themes of hidden potentials, and the transcendence of our limiting view of a solid reality, her work often represents the negative space as being as important as the material itself, implying the dance of form and spirit, a constant state of transformation.

Timings

Arrival from 9.30am, programme starts at 10.00am. The day closes at 5pm. 

Cost

The cost is £35.

A concession fee of £25 is available to anyone that has an annual income below £25,000, and of £20 is available to anyone that has an annual income below £20,000. Please contact [email protected] to arrange a concession or with any other questions.

We do not want cost to be a barrier to anyone attending and understand that these are challenging times financially for many people – please do not hesitate to contact us if you require a further concession.